At home with Mark Kirkland at the home drawing desk he uses to draw. T desk came from a mentor and dear friend of Mark’s, Ollie Johnston, who was the last of Walt Disney’s famous nine old men. A lot of very important things were created on that desk. Ollie Johnson used it for many, many years.

When I was three or four I used to draw with my father, and my father is still a working photographer in Hollywood, Douglas Kirkland, and we would sit and draw together and tell stories with our pictures. Douglas photographed many important people like Marilyn Monroe and Judy Garland, he would draw. He would have an idea for a photograph and he would sit and I would watch him sketch them out. That is how it all got started, telling stories with pictures.

Mark Kirland draws The Simpsons as Lady is a Tramp Characters photo by John Michael Ferrari

Animation was in the doldrums when I got interested in it. There was never a guarantee that I would make a dime in the field, but it didn’t matter. He loved it then and loves it still.

Mark Simpson at his desk at home. Photo by John Michel Ferrari

A person can decide they want to make a living at this. Follow your passion.

Mark Kirkland movie: Letter From Home

Interviews is a show on Actors Reporter, a channel on the Actors Podcast Network, a Pepper Jay Production.